T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S to duty than drive them from it.— Sum. Bible. v. 9. Nevertheless. This is a won derful “ nevertheless” . It looked dark and stormy but Nehemiah knew to whom to look in such an hour. Just so with us. No matter how many our enemies aré, and how cunningly they conspire together, we can say, “Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto God” , and all will come out right. v. 10. Judah said. Here we have the discouragements from within their own ranks at the very time when the adver saries said, “ Let us cause the work to cease.” Judah said, “ Let us let it fall. We are not able to go forward.” Active leading men have many times as much ado to grapple with the fears of their friends as with the terrors of their ene mies.—Henry. We are not able. Des pair is infidelity and death.—Whittier. He who gives up in despair measures providence by his own little Contract and model.— South. Do not give up until you know the irrevocable decree has passed, until you see your failure recorded in the book of fate and signed and sealed by necessity.-*-Collier. v. 12. The Jews which dwelt by them. “ From all places ye must return to us.” This being an appeal from the Jews of the neighboring towns to their fellow-citizens who had gone to work at Jerusalem, summoning them to return for their protection.— Dummelow. v. 13. Set behind the wall. By these vigilant precautions the counsels of the enemy were defeated and the work was carried on apace. God, when He’ has important public work to do, never fails to raise up instruments for accomplish ing it. Nehemiah’s vigilance antici pated every difficulty, his prudent meas ures defeated every obstruction, and with astounding rapidity Jerusalem was made again a fortified city.— J. F. & B. Swords, spears and bows. They took precaution against the enemy. Was not prayer enough? Why the setting of a watch if they trusted the Lord? If they had not done this it would have been presumption on their part. Their action did not clash with their trust in God.—Gaebelein. v. 14. Be not afraid of them. If we remembered the Lord according to Ne hemiah’s injunction, how insignificant would appear the difficulties with which the path of Christian service is beset. We concentrate our thought upon prob lems and situations instead of giving ourselves to prayer. “ Be not afraid:
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Nothing was left to chance or the choice of the Individual. There was a wise distribution of labor united with har monious co-operation on the part of all. Twelve times it is mentioned that Ne- hemiah prayed. We can do more than pray after we have prayed, but we can not do more than pray before we have prayed. Most touching and pathetic is the thrice-repeated prayer with which the narrative closes, “ Remember me, O my God.” Ch. 13:14, 22, 31. The heaviest burden to carry is in gratitude and inappreciation. ¡Nehe- miah received no thanks or recognition from man and his hungry heart cried out to God for compensation, and not in vain. It is true that in the keeping of the Divine commandments there is great reward; Psalm 19:11. It is also true that for keeping them there is a future recompense, even an exceeding great and eternal weight of glory. v. 7. When Sanballat and Tobiah heard. It is always a good sign when Sanballat and Tobiah and their follow ers get mad. It proves that there is something doing. COMMENTS FROM — Torrey. Ara- MA.NY SOURCES bians, Ammon- Keith Ii. Brooks ites, etc- Common h a t r e d has a wonderful power of uniting former foes. Samaritans, wild Arabs of the desert, Ammonites and inhabitants of Ashdod in the Philistine plain would have been brought together for no noble work, but mischief and malice fused them for a time into one. God’s work is attacked from all sides. Herod and Pilate can shake hands over their joint antagonism. Maclafen. Were very wroth. As the work progressed and they saw that their taunts were unsuc cessful, they became very wroth and conspired to use force. Behind them stood Satan, who always hinders the work of God. His opposition is the same in every age.— Anno. Bible. v. 8. Conspired together. God’s people are. often a despised people; load ed with contempt, but the reproaches of enemies should rather quicken them
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